Back last November we were contacted by collector, Serge Vak, about a Lebanon edition of "Top of the Pops" - volume 23. Of course we very quickly said yes to Serge's offer of scans, which revealed this most unusual album in all its glory.
We knew of Lebanon "Top of the Pops" singles before, but not whole albums. So here it is:
The back of the sleeve is interesting since besides the regular English sleeve notes we find some additional ones in French, which read,
"It is only a year in Beirut since the first "Top of the Pops" and its success was immediate. For 9 albums in this series and the two "European Editions", this success was growing, and still sales figures are still rising ... Today, thanks to your help, each new album is a guaranteed "bestseller" in Lebanon and around the world ... These sales figures allow us to offer these same LPs at the incredible price of 12 LL, always with the same quality, the same luxurious presentation and the same wonderful artists!"
Are we reading this right?? It suggests Lebanon had already released nine previous "Top of the Pops" LPs, including two Europe Editions! We'd love to see them, if anyone out there has any copies.
The label, Empire, was also the label behind Lebanon's 7-inch offering, and there is (at least) one spin-off single from this album: "Sacramento" / "Meet Me on the Corner":
Thanks to Serge for the images, and watch this space for further updates from our year-and-a-bit away from blogging...
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